Rice vs Pomona

debakianmj
Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:08:00 +0000

Thanks for clearing me with the difference on residential colleges and sponsor groups. It’s clear that residential colleges have more impact and are longer lasting. But Pomona has the consortium, which in my humble opinion I prefer over the residential college. Do I want to talk to smart, independent women? Scripps it is. Politically active and somewhat conservative jocks? Welcome to CMC. Hippie activists? Pitzer. Nerdy and ready to change the world? Harvey Mudd. Intellectual yet laid back super kids? Pomona. The student body at the consortium is probably the most diverse any college can be, and that’s something that really appeals to me. You’re right though that the grad school is a separate institution, so I’ll do some research and see how much the graduates at Rice supplement the Rice experience.

Owl2012, I plan on taking the full advantage of the consortium. Pomona is in a perfect place- a cute suburban location so the bustle isn’t too much for me, and pretty much everything the world has to offer. Do I want to ski? Mount Baldy is only 25 minutes away. Do I want the city? LA, Hollywood, and Anaheim. Beaches? The pacific ocean is nearby. Deserts? The Mojave desert. National Parks? Joshua Tree. Is Rice in a particularly urban part of Houston? Or is it in a secluded location?

Nostalgic, I thank you for your insights and agree with you that Pomona is academically speaking the better school. However I think it’s attributed to the fact that the Pomona student body is more talented than Rice’s, not because Rice has worse professors/etc. In the end the academic difference between the top 10 LACs and the top 20 national universities is so slight that other factors become more important.